Grand Hotel Panoramic Montecatini Terme

Kim had taken her grandma to Lucca last November and had fallen in love with the place. <br><br>We found a park not far from the city walls and then headed in for a look. We came across a chocolate festival in one of the piazzas and sampled a few beforw buying a hot cocolate drink...literally hot chocolate in a cup. It made me feel a bit sick.<br><br>Walking Lucca is like a big ...

... we finished it just in time to take in the Florentine Hall of Fame in the square outside the Uffizi. There are sculptures of all the heavy hitters from the Renaissance including Macchiavelli, Dante, Galileo, Donatello, Michelangelo and on, and on. It was like an outdoor walk through an intellectual Cooperstown. <br><br> We finished our walk at Ponte Vecchio, a beautiful bridge with its own incredible history (including being the only ...

... tons of cars were parked, everyone appreciating the amazing display of architecture in front of us. It was one of those great moments when a mix-up brings great reward.<br><br>The streets to our B&amp;B were tiny and flanked with high stone walls and the flow of traffic was about 20 kph above the limit and it truly felt like our mirror would click with the mirror on the cars we were passing. It was exhilarating. We continued our assent for ...

Just realized those not on facebook haven't seen pictures from Pisa and Florence. No long recap of Anthony and I's weekend in Tuscany, for obvious reasons. Also note that "Anthony and Alison's Great Adventure" was like taking a knife.<br><br>Love you guys! :)<br>

... on the next hill. Drove all around the countryside (which I hate to say is much bigger and impressive than Napa). Wine is so cheap and good but unfortunately the majority of grapes had just been picked. Also ventured into Florence for two days of sightseeing. This is one place that is as magnificent as tpublished pictures!

This morning we got to breakfast at 8, and it was made up of a selection of rolls, croissants, cereal, prosciutto (ham slices), salami, formaggio, cafe, juice and water. We headed down to the car rental place at around 10 and picked up our car. It is a stunning piece of machinery. Dad is going to be at the wheel for this trip, and he needed to get used to the manual transmission for a little bit, but he got the hang of it. We headed off in the direction that the ...

... batteries.) Anyways, back to the story. We went to the pizza place, ordered one of each kind of pizza they had (7 different styles, but one included anchovies. I tried fish right before I left and I still hate it, and there is no way you can get me to eat most any fish on this trip, let alone anchovies on a pizza.). We took it back to the apartment, enjoyed it with some cheap wine and fresh, new and interesting company, then headed home.

... nice to be able to stay somewhere for a long time and to get accustomed here. We took a day trip to San Gimiano and Arezzo to go to an awesome flee market where we competed to see who could make the best 1 Euro purchase. I found a picture that was dated 1939, of an old man posing on a beach in a speedo, but am sad to say that I did not win. Anyway, thats about it for Sienna, i'm very excited for Rome!

... like I was eating a watermelon...and for some reason this was just amazing to me. It's the little things people. Last night Robby, the DC guy, and I went out for Mexican food (fiiiiiiiiiinally...wow have I been craving some cheese dip) and then met up with a bunch of his friends that also happened to be in Florence. Overall, it was a pretty fun night. The receptionist, again, recommended this Mexican place, and then the bar that we ...

... knows what. After breakfast I went and got my bags to leave in the main building for a few hours so I could wander around before my train. Walked across the first big bridge with the huge basilica shrouded in fog again. Then off to Ponte Rialto to pick up one last thing in the shops. Standing on the Rialto I looked out over the Grande Canal and it was wierd. Watching the gondolas start up for the day, the water taxis ferrying tourists and people in suits to work up and ...